Page 52 of Abalim

Lisa frowned and crossed her arms.

The action lifted her breasts nicely.

“You make it sound so easy.” She glanced his way. “Think he can communicate with an alien machine?”

Abalim gave her a wide smile, doing his best to keep focused on her eyes and not some other tempting part of her anatomy. “Well…if he can’t, then we’ll find that ax so you can chop away to your heart’s content.”

Lisa bit her bottom lip and glanced at the prone Lumarians. They didn’t look like they were suffering, but she knew better. Their silent screams echoed in her mind courtesy of her new psychic powers.

Damned psychic crap. Why did she ever think it’d be an awesome thing to have? She clenched her jaw as she internally fought to stop from rushing over and yanking the suffering Lumarians out of the coffin-like death traps. She glared at Abalim and his little friend.

Abalim responded by touching her shoulder. With feather-like whispers, his mental tendrils coated her agitated mind and showed her how to block the agony from the captive Lumarians.

As relief swept through her, she squeezed his hand and gave him a grateful smile. “Yeah, that’s much better, thank you.” She sighed and threw her shoulders back. “Okay, let’s see what we can find out.”

His dark gaze studied her for a moment before he returned the smile. He grasped her hand and lifted it, then gave her knuckles a brief kiss.

Watching Abalim’s full lips caress her skin made Lisa’s breath catch as sensitive nerves came alive. Ooh, look at him. The man was a master at diverting her attention to more pleasant things. Things that didn’t have to do with the dumb situation they were in. Just like one of her heroines, she was fast losing her heart to a dangerous charmer in the middle of their adventure. Yeah, but who said that was a bad thing?

She followed Abalim to the massive machine. The closer they got, the more Lisa fought the urge to run away. That sucker was huge. She’d never seen anything like it before. Circular with a pearly illumination at its back, like a streetlight’s globe tilted, so the light shone around its back edge. Pulsating lights rolled around the outer edges, first bright and then dim. Like the pulse of a giant struggling to hang onto life.

Lisa looked at the small silver-and-green spider bot on Abalim’s shoulder. “You think you can somehow communicate with that?” Talk about David vs Goliath…

The little bot bobbed his head. “Yes, Miss Lisa, ma’am.” Semitransparent wings spread out of his back. Delicate like a lady bug with an iridescent sheen, the little guy rose from Abalim’s shoulder and headed to the machine.

“Analyze first, JR15. Don’t come in direct contact with it just yet,” Abalim warned him.

“No sir, I mean yes, Mister Abalim, sir.” The little spider whizzed toward the dull center of the machine.

Lisa gripped Abalim’s forearm. “I hope he doesn’t get hurt.”

Abalim covered her hand with his. The warmth of his touch settled her shivers.

“Make a quick sweep around the machine,” he told JR15. “Then come back and recommend what options are open for us on what to do next.”

With a quick whistle, the bot zoomed around the machine. It didn’t take long for JR15 to buzz back. With his wings flapping in silent mode, he faced Abalim. “Mister Abalim, sir, I believe I can activate the main communication. You wish me to do so?”

“Only if you deem it’s safe.” Abalim replied.

“Oh, yes, Mister Abalim, sir. It is quite safe. I will be right back.”

The little guy zoomed back to the machine and hovered above the dull center.

Lisa couldn’t tell what the little bot did, but the middle of the machine lit up and the ring surrounding it turned.

A piercing sound, sharp and shrill, pierced through the air.

Lisa covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut as an excruciating pain sliced through her.

Then the rusted machine sputtered to life, and a high-pitched whine settled into a cacophony of creaks and groans echoing through the large chamber.

Daring to open her eyes, she pulled her hands away from her ears. What she saw made her jump.

A ghostly figure of a robed, elderly Lumarian male stood with his hands folded in front of him. He sported a nonthreatening warm smile.

Lookie here… Yoda anyone?

“Welcome, good citizens! We are so grateful you have finally answered our call.” He gave a slight bow before waving to the machine behind him. “While we appreciate the bounty you keep sending us, we fear they are not what is needed to continue. For us to resume our life-giving directives, you must replace the Lumicor crystal!”

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